The latest issue of Game Informer magazine has a bit of potential bad news for Gordon Freeman fans, casting doubt on the release of Half-Life 2: Episode Three in 2010.

Specifically, Game Informer's rumor-centric Loose Talk column notes that there "won't be any game from the [Half-Life] franchise in 2010, and what will finally come out is still unknown," implying that the next entry in the series could be either Episode Three or Half-Life 3.

The developer has plenty to focus on in 2010 with Left 4 Dead 2 (and Left 4 Dead) downloadable content en route, as well as at least one more Team Fortress 2 update. And if Valve really is creating a character that speaks with sign language, those claims of the next Half-Life being an "ambitious product" sound legit.